Yoga Retreats and wellness retreats are some of the largest trends in the tourism industry now. Especially for people who are traveling for a long period of time. It gives them a chance to take a break from jumping from one hotel to another, and relax for a few days while following a schedule.

We have had guests say how they love the fact that they can just shut off their brain and have someone tell them “now you will have dinner” or “now you can receive a massage.” It allows people to feel nurtured while being part of a small community for a few days. It allows people to let go and relax, meet new friends or connect with their partner.

Siem Reap is the perfect place to host retreats. Whether it is large scale Yoga retreats where a big group come from different parts of the world for a week, or a short retreat where people pop in for 3 or 4 nights to take part in daily Yoga classes, and follow a clean diet regiment.

Since our launch in 2015, we started to focus on Yoga and wellness retreats. Attracting guests and retreat hosts from all corners of the globe. All coming to us with one purpose: wellness. We have spent countless hours training our staff and perfecting our detox menu. we have spent countless hours building excursions, and spiritual and cultural activities for our Retreat guests to enjoy. All in the name of hospitality and wellness.

All this hard work pays off when you become known as the Top Retreat Center in Siem Reap. It becomes even more exciting when you realize that all other retreat centers in town are trying to copy your every move and plan. We take this as a compliment, realizing that our retreats must be so attractive that everyone else in town is replicating.

We were the first to offer spiritual sessions as part of our retreats, we were the first to offer guided tours as part of our retreats and we were the first offering non-profit retreats.

Our packages are designed for those who want to experience different wellness activities which are welcoming to all. Activities where nobody is judged or forced to do anything they are not comfortable doing. We are the only place to offer wellness retreats which are luxury based, at an affordable rate.

We do not oversell our retreat packages. Numbers to us matter in smaller amounts. We are not set up to profit, we are set up to offer personalized packages. There are many respectable retreat facilities in Siem Reap which fill up their space with 30 to 40 guests each week. It is great as a business model in order to make huge amounts of profits, but when it comes to customer service and personal attention, this is not a great plan to follow.

From the moment a guest books their retreat with us, we get in touch with them individually, working out their meal plan and figuring out their needs. Our goal is to allow guests to show up here not feeling intimidated. Knowing they are in a family friendly environment to experience not just Yoga, but also other wellness activities which will have them leave our hotel relaxed and rejuvenated.

Now the good news we have been waiting to share with everyone. Because of the launch of a new Yoga Center in Siem Reap, we have been able to expand our retreat packages. Tavoos Garden & Wellness Center is our newest partner, providing our guests with a beautiful, tropical Zen Yoga garden.

Since Tavoos Garden & Wellness Center opened its doors right next to us, we have developed a great partnership with them for our retreat packages. Guests can stay at our beautiful hotel and take part in our 3 Day, 4 Day, 5 Day and 6 Day retreat packages where they get to attend daily Yoga classes, Medical Qigong, Nia Dance, Art classes, Field trips and amazing, healthy nutritionist designed meals.

The focus at Tavoos Garden & Wellness Center is the same as ours: providing luxurious, non-judgemental, intimate retreats to guests.

With the recent launch of our partner Tavoos Garden Restaurant & Non-Profit Wellness Center next to our hotel we are pleased to be able to offer our guests some amazing wellness packages. Many of you ask “What is Qigong?”, it is the same question Ils Cools who is an instructor at Tavoos is asked each day. Here is her explanation.

“So what do you do?”

“I teach Medical Qigong.”

“Uhuh…sorry medical what?”

This kind of conversation I have quite a lot. Everybody knows yoga but almost nobody has ever heard of Medical Qigong. So how to explain a 4000 year old healing system in a couple of words? I can’t. Because basically you have to experience it to understand it. But I always give it a try.

I start with saying that it’s an exercise system to bring back balance in your body. With 7 very simple exercises which everybody, in whatever condition his or her body is, can do, we look for our body’ center or dantien. Although Qigong is based in the traditional Chinese medicine with its 5 element theory it’s also pure science. Applied physics to be more specific. “Physics? Ewwwww, that must be boring” I can almost hear you thinking. It’s not, because I’m not teaching physics. I’m teaching you to become aware of your body, to start to understand what is going on there.

Which habits you have that are not helping your health and how to change them. The more you become aware of your body, the more you can rely on yourself for curing any of your ailments. This system not only helps you to cure, it also helps you to prevent. And that is the real medicine.

As Thomas Alva Edison already said in the late 1800’s: “The doctor of the future will give no medicine, but will interest his patients in the care of the human frame…” That is exactly what medical Qigong is all about. The awareness and the care about your human frame. Come and experience this for yourself at Tavoos Garden. Every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

I have always had a special relationship with Nature. I was raised in a country side in Siberia, Russia. I was surrounded by nature & animals my whole childhood. We ran through the forests, picking berries and mushrooms, saving birds from the fire, watching out for big fish in a lake, hiding from pirates behind big bushes and running through hills with our sheep.

Our cow was smart and beautiful, we would adventure into the near by land, to look for her, when she got lost…

Nature always provided for us. We raised our own garden, we had big potato field, plenty of animals,

as well as two dogs and a cat. It was all so wonderful and fun.

I’m grateful to my parents for making this true. My mom and dad who made a choice to raise us close to the Mother Nature. A vivid image of her imprinted into my child’s imagination. I often would draw her, a gorgeous woman wearing a flower crown. Peaceful, kind, generous, fair….she would always look back at me, from my piece of paper.

When they described further more what they have imagined, I was ecstatic to start on the project.

My heart was glowing with anticipation and excitement!

Little did I know, the whole trip would mean so much more than I anticipated…but let’s talk about Mother Nature.

She is the star of this story! It was such an honour for me to create her and spend so much time together.

It took place in Siem Reap, Cambodia, where there is a a warm climate, which makes for very rich animal & plant worlds. As I was painting I would make friends with spiders, frogs, dragonflies and cats. Listen to all kinds of new unfamiliar sounds and rooster songs, all surrounded by greenery, trees and flowers.

The Green Leaf hotel lives up to it’s name and has many plants all through out, as well as a lovely pool right on the middle. The centre piece! That is where I began my creative journey, with big Sun and bright flower, with blue shapes, representing the water and of course a sky with golden clouds.

Then I began painting Mother Nature. During the process, many thoughts flew through my mind. Of how beautiful and powerful she is, how much she provides for the Earth and the humans. How thoughtful and sometimes funny she is with her creations, and a true artist! It was an emotional piece. At times I also would think of how much the human world have hurt the nature and that it is still happening…but yet, she doesn’t stop to love us…

I kept on painting, letting drop drops down my cheeks…

It was exhilarating to work on her portrait and I’m truly grateful to have the chance to do so.

Once again Mother Nature was peacefully looking back at me, except now, she was on a side of a building.

Both of us were proud and happy to be here.

I continued creating her hair as a rivers and an ocean waves coming down to the first floor to then expand into variety of landscapes, themed for each room. There were mountains with lakes, waterfalls with forests, fields with grass and flowers, tropical places with palms and a sea and a sleeping volcano, covered in trees and plants. There were all kind of animals hiding in each landscape, if you were to look, you would find over thirty of them.

In the lobby I painted my own interpretation of the Moringa tree, which is a superfood and has a lots of medicinal benefits, nutrition and healing properties. It offers enormous amounts of vitamins and minerals that our bodies need.

Almost every part of the tree is edible, full with excellent nourishment to both humans and domestic animals.

I ate Moringa omelette almost every day! It was prepared by amazing cook that works at the hotel.

It was always yummy and made me feel strong and healthy.

I finished my work with a little flower on a decor piece in the lobby. Only thing, the flower kept on growing rapidly.

It bloomed in many colours and shapes. It seemed, I did not want to stop, but it was time to wrap it up.

Out of all things, that was the hardest to do.

I have lived and painted at the hotel for over 20 days, yet it definitely felt much longer. It has become my home and with each brush stroke it meant to me more and more … I was enchanted by The Green Leaf, it’s owners, it’s staff members and of course, the country itself, beautiful and humble Cambodia.

I’m so grateful for this opportunity. By scale, this is the largest project I ever did. I feel inspired and uplifted by this experience. I have learned many things and notes were taken. To wake up every day and paint nature was a dream come true. I will cherish these memories for many years to come.

If you are visiting Siem Reap, you know where to stay!

For more info, please visit the website and see what else hotel has to offer.